“I have been dreaming of this moment for as long as I can remember, the day I was going to meet my little girl. A friend recently told me how magical today was going to be because it’s the day I would meet my best friend,” Vanessa writes.

While Lachey, 41, isn’t exactly sure of what to expect once his daughter makes her big debut — Vanessa is due right after the holidays — there is one thing he is having a hard time wrapping his head around.

“I’m very excited to be a dad again,” Nick, 41, tells PEOPLE. “My dream in life has always been to have a family. It’s surreal when it starts to happen before your eyes.”

With weeks to go until her arrival, the couple aren’t quite ready for baby girl’s birth just yet. “It’s all those logistical things — the nursery, the hospital stuff,” says Nick of their long to-do list.